OSAKA, Japan and DEERFIELD , Ill. (April 4, 2008) –
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (“Takeda”) and
its wholly-owned subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America,
Inc. (“TPNA”) announced today that, on March 31, 2008,
the U.S. Supreme Court denied the Petition for a Writ of Certiorari
by Alphapharm Pty Ltd[ * ].

The Supreme Court decision finally affirms the Appeals Court
decision upholding the validity of Takeda’s U.S. Patent No.
4,687,777 (“777”) covering pioglitazone hydrochloride,
the active ingredient in ACTOS®. The decision arises
from a lawsuit brought by Takeda and TPNA in March 2004 in order to
oppose an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) filed by
Alphapharm Pty Ltd.

Based on this final decision, the FDA will not approve and
Alpharpharm Pty Ltd. may not launch a generic version of
pioglitazone until the “777” patent expires in
2011.

Takeda owns other U.S. patents covering certain methods of
treatment using pioglitazone hydrochloride and certain compositions
that include pioglitazone hydrochloride.

“We are very pleased that the fair and appropriate ruling
regarding this litigation was confirmed by the Supreme
Court,” said Mr. Yoichi Okumura, General Manager of
Intellectual Property Dept. of Takeda. “We have profound
respect for the protection of intellectual property rights because
innovation is critical to us as an R&D-oriented pharmaceutical
company.”

[ * ] Alphapharm Pty. Ltd., and Genpharm,
Inc.

About Takeda

Takeda, located in Osaka, Japan, is a research-based global
company with its main focus on pharmaceuticals. As the largest
pharmaceutical company in Japan, and one of the global leaders of
the industry, Takeda is committed to striving toward better health
for individuals and progress in medicine by developing superior
pharmaceutical products. Additional information about Takeda is
available through its corporate website, www.takeda.com.

About Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.

Based in Deerfield, lll., Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America,
Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
Limited, the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan. In the United
States, Takeda currently markets diabetes, insomnia, wakefulness
and gastroenterology, and through the Takeda Global Research &
Development Center, Inc. the company has a robust pipeline with
compounds in development for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and
other conditions. To learn more about the company and its products,
visit www.tpna.com.